Since its creation in 1987, the Erasmus program has helped 12 million European students in their desire to discover and share their culture during an exchange. Erasmus is the acronym for EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. Since the United Kingdom’s final exit from the European Union, there are 33 countries participating in the program. These are the member states of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.
Erasmus, an ever more attractive program for students
Exponential growth of the program
Until 2020, a slow year for the exchange program due to Covid, the growth of Erasmus was exponential. From its creation date until 2010, Erasmus has benefited 2 million students, to which can be added 10 million students from 2010 to today. Over this last period, nearly 800,000 French people have benefited from it.
In France, the budget allocated to Erasmus over this period was more than 1.4 billion euros. But France does not only receive foreign students, it is also the leading country for sending students with 58,000 French people across Europe in 2019. France is even one of the countries where the number of student departures is higher than the number of receptions, alongside Turkey, Germany, the Balkan States of the program and the Baltic countries.
The attractive Erasmus destinations
Where do Erasmus students go? In Spain by supuesto ! The Iberian Peninsula continues to be attractive because it constitutes an effective synthesis between respectable higher education and an optimal living environment. Behind it, we can cite Germany, France and until 2021, the United Kingdom. The most attractive cities are Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Berlin. The sunny destinations of the Mediterranean and those of Central Europe are therefore very popular for students looking for cities to go out on a low budget.
More recently, it is the Nordic countries that have attracted Erasmus students. This is explained by an incredible quality of student life, particularly in terms of courses received and eco-tourism. In addition, English is very well mastered in these countries, so this facilitates rapid progression in languages. Furthermore, the employment rate for young people is particularly high at around 70% in Holland, Norway and Iceland. The only weak point of these destinations: the standard of living is justified by the price of rent, leisure activities and even basic necessities.
Also worth remembering as a good plan: Northern Ireland because Erasmus’ exit from the United Kingdom did not, however, make an exchange in Belfast impossible.
Erasmus, the birth of a European feeling
The Erasmus program takes its name from the 16th century Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus. This acronym therefore takes us back to the cultural roots of Europe, which the Erasmus countries share in common. It would be this common European culture which contributes to the success of the program and its positive appreciation by the students. So, what do you think of the feeling of belonging to Europe after an Erasmus student?
According to site analyzes All of Europe83% of post-Erasmus students say they are more European than when they left. This is illustrated in various ways, notably by a very surprising but hopeful figure for Europe, at least for its demographics: 1 million. Between 1987 and 2020, there would be 1 million “Erasmus” babies born from unions from a meeting during the exchange. Apart from this fact, the commitment of many young people attests to the birth of a pro-European feeling. More and more of them are taking part in decisions, making their voice known to the institutions on European issues. Like Diane, ambassador for the Una Europa program created by Erasmus.
Una Europa, a small victory for Erasmus
The program Una Europa is a university alliance that connects eleven universities, nine of which are in the European Union. It offers transnational double degrees and doctoral degrees mainly in the following areas: sustainability, data studies, artificial intelligence and health. We meet Diane, Una Europa ambassador.
Commit to Una Europa
Can you describe your journey that led you to be an Una Europa ambassador?
I have just finished my Master 1 in political science at the Sorbonne where I completed my degree after a year of literary preparation. Una Europa interested me because Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne is one of the 8 European universities involved in the project. I wanted to understand what form cooperation could take between European universities, which each have their own mode of operation and their own methods of education. I liked participating in strengthening the links between these universities. I was also keen to discover another dimension of the university since being at Una Europa included me in the life of the establishment.
What is the role of ambassadors within the alliance?
Investing as an ambassador with Una Europa is done in two ways. The first concerns the offer that the program can provide to students from alliance universities. We will work a lot in small groups based on themes. Between ambassadors, we reflected on the creation of a common license for 8 universities including the Sorbonne. It is a specialized degree in European studies, there are courses in economics, law and languages. This fairly comprehensive cycle allows students who follow it to have an interesting profile on the job market. I really appreciated seeing that the opinions of the ambassadors were taken into consideration on these subjects which concern the academic curriculum.
Secondly, our role is also to promote Una Europa among our establishments. For my part, I only learned of the existence of the alliance in 2021 even though it has existed since 2019. We try to communicate about this alliance via discussions with comrades or via social networks.
Una Europa projects
What events or projects are you preparing at the moment?
Currently, I am preparing for the 3rd student congress which will take place in Krakow in October. The theme will be “universities of the future”, it will involve sharing our vision of the university of tomorrow in terms of values, integration, sustainability. From time to time, we have to organize foreign delegations from Una Europa to come to our university.
A commitment that came after an Erasmus exchange
You benefited from an exchange program atthanks to Erasmus. Can you tell us about your experience?
I loved going to Slovenia, I followed a course in international relations there. The courses were quite different from those I had received in France at Paris 1. They dealt with contemporary security, defense geography, crisis management, etc. I chose Slovenia because it was a destination that was not very popular with students. My choice was therefore not typical compared to that of French students who decide to go to Spain or Germany. So I enjoyed meeting a lot of European students there, Serbs, Croats, Portuguese etc. The migration history of Slovenia is very different from that of France. I had not often had the opportunity to interact with people from the Balkans.
On the other hand, the expectations and working methods were not the same, which at first glance could prove frustrating. The university offers courses in both languages and Erasmus students like me mostly choose those in English. Even if you have no knowledge of Slovenian there is no problem communicating with the locals. Whether in college or outside, everyone speaks English.
What is your vision of exchange and sharing programs between students? In your opinion, Erasmus ensures its stability thanks to similarities between European profiles or on the contrary thanks to deep but rich differences?
I think first of all that what interests Erasmus students are the differences. They are sources of significant exchanges because people do not have the same cultures and lifestyles. There is still a basis of resemblance based on similar visions and ways of thinking. These students have fairly similar life goals in terms of careers, which means that they come together on fundamental subjects. It is this duality that makes Erasmus rich.
Consult our article if you want to know more about your gap year opportunities
The vision of Europe from an Una Europa ambassador
You studied political science at the Sorbonne. Since its creation but even more since recent events (Covid, Ukraine), the EU has been debated within the political class. What idea do you have of political Europe?
Europe remains a major base. I find it hard to imagine that we can act without Europe, which remains a very large institution. It deserves to be constantly strengthened, particularly in view of the current growing risks. If it hadn’t been for Europe, I wouldn’t have had my exchange opportunities.
Do you see Europe as a job market full of opportunities for young people?
It’s a very interesting market, you have to dare to say that it’s not necessarily in France that you’re going to work. For my part, I am making this bet for my second part of my professional gap year. Such experience is always valued on a CV.
More French, European or national issues?
You were also a delegate for MUNs (simulated discussions at the United Nations). Do you want to invest in an international structure like the EU or the UN in your future career? If so, do you see a difference between working with the EU, a regional organization, and working with a global institution such as the UN?
Both would interest me and fully meet my career ambitions. I have a preference for international organizations like the UN which address vast subjects on the scale of very large geographical areas. Afterwards, this choice is made rather in view of the themes that we wish to deal with, they are in my opinion more technical when we are involved in the European Union.
In the professional world, do you see a divide between European issues and French issues, or are they similar?
There is complementarity between these issues. It is difficult to look at French issues without considering European ones because France is so steeped in the European Union. For example, my first gap year internship will take place in a public affairs firm. The subjects covered will of course concern France but will readily extend to the European scale depending on the period.
Advice for students who wish to act for European unity
This involves associative investments. We are in contact with people who already have experience, who will support us based on our availability. Studies are also a way to learn new perspectives about the European Union. In the future, the graduate can thus embrace European issues on a daily basis, whether in private structures such as lobbies, companies or in the public domain.
